Under Feet Like Ours
by IamCarnage
Summary: About Sirius and Regulus' relationship over their years at Hogwarts. Rating is just to be safe...
1. Chapter 1

**My take on Sirius and Regulus relationship. This is my first story here, I hope you guys like it. Reviews are much appreciated, any suggestions help me out a lot too. I have the outline of the story complete, but I'm thinking of changing some of it.**

**All characters are J.K Rowling's creation. Title is from Tegan and Sara's album.  
**

_Dear Reggie_

_How's it going? I hope you're hanging alright with being alone at home now, but hey, only a year and you'll be coming to Hogwarts with me! Hopefully we'll be in the same house. It'd be a blast. Remember James Potter? We met on the train again, and he's pretty cool, no idea why mum and dad hate the Potters. He and I got sorted into Gryffindor, "Where dwell the brave at heart!" I was so nervous when they put the tattered old hat in my head, but after a while it shouted "GRYFFINDOR!" _

_I thought for sure I'd be a Slytherin, like the rest of our family. James was teasing me about it on the train. Don't you think it's cool how I broke the tradition? Bella is being bloody awful about me being a traitor to the Black crest. Andy is being really nice to me, though._

_Our common room is in one of the highest towers, so that gives us the best view ever. It's pretty amazing. Andy showed James and I around, and we made a new friend with a nerdy kid, but he seems a bit sick. I wonder what is wrong with him…_

Regulus looked up from the page at a sharp knock from the door. He hid the letter, guessing his mother would've received a letter saying his son was on Gryffindor too, but probably not on such nice terms as Regulus had.

"CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT BRAT!" his mother, Walburga, shouted at the top of her lungs. "He's dishonoring our crest! Mixing with the mudbloods and blood traitors! The nerve he has, sending me this letter!"

A letter with the same handwriting as the one stowed in his pocket was being shoved at Regulus' face. He took hold of it and read

_Dearest Mother and Father_

_Your eldest son would like to proudly make known to you that he has been sorted into Gryffindor, breaking the tradition of Slytherins in our home. Perhaps you didn't raise us correctly to fit into Slytherin. I'm sorry if this upsets you, I don't wish to cause you a heart attack or anything. Andy is Gryffindor's prefect and she's being really nice, and there's a Weasley I just met, he's also older than me. I'm doing fine, though you probably are not particularly worried._

_See you at Christmas._

_Love, Sirius. _

Regulus smiled slightly at his brother's words. He knew Sirius was proud to break the Slytherin line, and found it amazing and fun, though his mother did not. He vaguely wondered how his father would react once they saw Sirius again. Usually all of his father's rage would be held up until he saw the person who it was directed at. Regulus frowned.

He returned the letter to his mother, hoping she wouldn't lose her temper even more. "Well, he seems happy, mum. Say, at least he's not in Hufflepuff or anything?" he commented, trying to make it sound convincing. He didn't have anything against the houses or anyone, really, but his mother did, and he didn't want her to be upset.

"I guess you're right. I'll expect him to reserve his comments and refrain from mixing with the filth. He's unbelievable, your brother. I hope you do better, Regulus. I expect you to." She said, cupping his cheek in her hand and kissing it lightly, before exiting.

Regulus plopped on his bed, looked at the cream colored ceiling and sighed. He proceeded to pull the letter out of his pocket and continue reading, happily drifting into thoughts of next year and wondering what house he would be in.

-;-;-;-;

That Christmas turned out worse than Regulus had thought it would. Sirius came back, but their mother was highly displeased. Regulus could only guess the news of Sirius' disasters at school. Their mother started comparing him to Bellatrix and Narcissa, which always made Sirius bitter. Their father had harshly scolded the eldest son, and punished him for the rest of the Christmas break.

Sirius locked himself up in his room after a rather harsh reprimand from their mother, and Regulus was worried. He hurried up to his brother's room and knocked. "It's me, Sirius. Can I come in?" he asked softly. The door swinged open and he walked in.

The room looked different from the last time he'd been inside, a few days before Sirius' return. A couple Gryffindor Banners were on the walls, along with a picture of his friends at school. The bed sheets were no longer the usual pale blue their mother had chosen, but a warm gold, which looked well with the blueish walls. Sirius threw himself on the bed, apparently reassuming his previous position. Regulus sat down by the edge and put his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Mom's been really upset lately, don't worry." He murmured

"She's been really upset with me for years now Reg, don't feel guilty. You're a much better son to her; at least you know how to follow the traditions." Sirius mumbled, sitting up and turning to face his younger brother. Sirius sported a broken lip and a swollen cheek now, which worried Regulus slightly.

They faced each other for a couple of seconds, then hugged. "I've missed you, Reggie."

;-;-;-;

The next time Regulus saw his brother was on the summer break. As soon as they got home, Sirius had been summoned to their father's office. They were there for hours, which worried Regulus slightly. Walburga called Regulus to the sitting room and started talking to him about his brother's behavior at school, and how he had been awful son to them, staining the Black crest with his school behavior.

Regulus noticed the door of his father's office open and let out a downcast Sirius. Regulus noticed red puffy eyes and Sirius' cheek growing redder by the minute, and he could picture the deep, purple bruises his brother would have under his robes. Walburga stopped her eldest son as he was about to head upstairs, holding him by the shoulders. "You've been a bad example for your brother, Sirius. You must exceed our expectations from now on, become worthy of the Black crest." She said, her tone icy, "I'm glad to see your grades were good." She added in a slightly softer tone.

That had made a small smile appear on the boy's lips, Regulus noticed, but it was gone in a flash, and he ended up wondering if he had imagined it.

"Happy Birthday brother." Said Regulus, passing a small package to his brother.

Sirius had had a row with their mother this morning. The celebration was obviously not going to happen anymore, so Regulus had gotten the present for his brother from under his bed and gone out to follow his brother into a park.

Sirius smiled sadly, opening the present and seeing a small knife. "What's it do?"

Regulus smiled widely "It opens any door and breaks enchantments! I got it from a lady in Diagon Alley before you came back."

"Thanks, it's really cool." Sirius said, smiling at the small gift.

"What are you doing that upsets mum and dad so much?" Regulus questioned, his swing slowly moving back and forth a bit.

"You know everything I do of my own will gets them upset…" Sirius sighed, putting the knife back in its small box and putting it away.

"Mum was crying the other day… she said you do it on purpose. Why don't you try not to do the stuff that gets them angry, S?" The younger brother proposed innocently.

The eldest of the boys kicked his swing into movement once again,"I tried, it doesn't work, Reggie. Not for me, because I just end up doing things like me again and it makes them upset. And I don't really want to change for them. If you change it should be for yourself." He explained his thoughts to his brother as best as he could. "Best I can do is get good grades, now."

"That seemed to make mum happy, didn't it?"

"I guess." Sirius answered "I hope you're Slytherin, I don't want them to be screaming bloody murder to you too." He murmured, as he slowed the swing to a stop and walked away.

"What did you say?"

"Are you coming or what, Reg?" Sirius said playfully, ignoring the question.

The summer passed quickly, the pair of brothers hanging out together as much as their parents would let them. Sirius knew their parents were trying to keep them apart, hoping none of Sirius would rub off on his younger brother.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here it is, chapter two- Regulus' first year. Please, please, please Review? I'd love to hear what people think so far. **

**SweetMilano: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like my interpretation of Walburga :]  
**

**All characters belong to J.K. Rowling.  
**

September the first arrived and the Black family was outside the Hogwarts Express. Sirius got a quick "Behave." From his mother and a nod from his father before he ran off to find his friends in the platform. Regulus knew that his father had repressed from a harsh admonishment, perhaps a slap to keep up the appearances; the Black Family had to be perfect to the eyes of onlookers.

Walburga Black kissed her youngest son and shed a couple tears as she waved her son off to the train, wishing him a good year, expressing her love, like she hadn't done to her first born. Orion hugged him goodbye and Regulus set off. His mind wandered to his brother once again, not completely understanding their parent's reasoning. He carried his trunk inside the train and started searching for an empty compartment, having told Sirius he'd be intimidated to sit with his friends, despite his brother's several protests. He found it soon enough and settled in by the window, once again wondering where he would be sorted.

Sirius sat down at the compartment which he shared with his best friends, where Remus was talking about his summer. He put his trunk up and sat next to James, who had quickly taken over the conversation and explaining about his vacation.

"I went to Spain with my parents. It was pretty neat. You should come with us next summer, stay over at our place and we can take you on next year's trip, Sirius!" James said, smiling brightly.

"I'll take you up on that offer someday, Jamesie. Just let me get out of having to go back to that dammed place every break. I'm sure they'll tire of me eventually." Sirius laughed lightly.

"So what was your summer like, Sirius?" asked Remus curiously, peeping from the top of whatever book he was reading now.

"Bloody hell, mate, but I've had it worse. I got stuck with the bloody house elf every time they decided to go out. And they're not letting me around my brother much now; think I'll screw him up or som'n"

The aura suddenly had gotten a lot heavier than Sirius had expected, though he had kept his tone light and didn't go into much detail. Remus had closed his book and was looking uncomfortable, Peter, though he had not spoken much in the whole trip, was now staring intently out the window, and James seemed to be thinking of what to say on the topic. Sirius decided to turn the topic to his brother, considering he was on the train too this year.

"That's cool! We'll probably have another Black in Gryffindor, right?" James said, smiling again.

"I wonder… my mum would have a heart attack I swear!" Sirius laughed a bit.

They changed into their school robes and went down from the train, hopping into carriages, which they were all astounded to see moved without a need for horses or anything. They were discussing this as they sat down at Gryffindor table, waiting for the first years to arrive for the sorting.

Regulus was standing nervously in line, waiting for his turn to be called, hearing the chat of the other 3 students that had sat with him in the train. Two of them came from pureblood families that he knew, Ashleigh Flint and Adam Greengrass, and they were heatedly discussing housing possibilities.

His name was called and he sat on the stool, looking for his brother. He found him and received a smile from the eldest son of Black. He closed his eyes while the hat was placed on his hat. There wasn't much of a pause before the hat screamed out its choice "SLYTHERIN!"

Regulus inhaled deep and stood up, a great cheer coming from the Slytherin table. He opened his eyes and looked for his brother.

"SLYTHERIN" the hat had declared.

Sirius smiled and clapped along with the Slytherins, much to the Gryffindor's table puzzlement. He found his younger brother's gaze and gave him a thumbs up. Seeing a smile creep into the younger one's face, he turned back to his friends. James smiled and gave him a pat in the back.

;-;-;-;-;-;

"I heard the howler last morning…"

"Yeah, who didn't? Narcissa likes telling mum whatever she deems what I do unacceptable for the house of Black. I don't take it personally anymore," Sirius said chuckling lightly "I think she has fun with those, mum."

Regulus's face showed deep concern, mixed in with a bit of annoyance. "How can you say that, Sirius? She's just worried about you. You're really way too much for her and she's concerned."

"She's worried about the reputation of the _most noble and ancient _house of Black, not me, dear brother." Sirius laughed bitterly.

"You know that's not true," Regulus tried arguing back weakly, not quite sure he believed it himself.

Sirius sighed and gave his brother a noncommittal half-smile. "How did your first classes go, by the way?" He asked, changing the topic quickly.

"Oh, I had transfiguration first, and McGonagall transfigured from a cat right at the beginning. It was really cool, and then we had potions and I started reading through the book as the teacher talked, it looks like a lot of fun!" Regulus said smiling once again, happy that his brother did show interest even though they were on different houses. "How about yours?"

They had arranged to meet on the Great Hall the second day of school so they could talk a bit before they each had to go to their respective houses' tables.

"Oh, I'm doing good, Reg. James and I had a laugh during charms, but we got our first detention already from McGonagall! It wasn't really worth the detention, though." Sirius said laughing, but stopping once he noticed his brother was looking cross.

"It's those friends of yours;" Regulus stated looking up at his brother completely serious. "It's not just you, it's them. They're getting you into more trouble! I hate them for that."

"You have no right to talk about other people, Regulus. You're beginning to sound like them." Sirius uttered, leaving the young first year rooted on the spot as he left.

Regulus frowned, hurt as his brother had never taken a harsh tone towards him before. He stood in the hall for a few minutes without moving, scared that he had wronged his brother.

As the weeks dragged on, Sirius saw less and less of his brother. Sirius took up the habit of going to the Great Hall as early as he could, knowing Regulus was always up as the sun raised.

Before everyone got to the Great Hall was the best time they had to talk, now. Sirius knew if the rest of the Slytherins saw them together Regulus might be in trouble. They met like this a couple times a month after they figured it out, making them both feel lighter-hearted even if some of their chat ended up like the first they'd had.

;-;-;-;-;-;

Christmas break came and they went back home to Grimmauld place, a lot of preparations to be made for the family get-together their mother had planned. Regulus and Sirius were kept busy and apart for the most part until Christmas Eve, though the younger brother wondered what his mother had been having Sirius do, since the youngest son was doing all the invitations.

Sirius had barely spoken a word since their arrival, Regulus noticed after 3 days of helping out with whatever their mother asked. He could see the older boy walking around carrying some things from place to place, nodding at any comment their mother had for him, but that was it. One day he overheard his mother talking with Sirius on the kitchen as he walked over to his father's office to leave a newly arrived letter. He stopped dead in his tracks, just beneath the door to listen in.

"Your behavior at home has improved, I'm glad, Sirius." Walburga was saying in an almost pleasant voice that Regulus didn't remember her using towards Sirius in years. "Your father has been quite busy and doesn't need any more trouble. The house of Black needs a proper heir, I'm glad you're starting to understand. Now off you go, to your bedroom, you can do what you please the rest of the evening. Come down at 5 for dinner." She instructed, ushering the boy away. Regulus held his breath, hoping that they wouldn't think he was eavesdropping.

Regulus saw Sirius stride off to his bedroom, a soft murmur of "yeah, right! Like I ever will, you old Hag," coming from his lips, as he rushed by the younger boy and up the stairs, without even noticing his presence. A door slammed hard upstairs, their mother yelling out at the eldest son to be more careful, but nothing else.

;-;-;-;-;-;

The week they returned to Hogwarts, Regulus overheard Sirius while walking down a hallway, talking about how his summer was spent working like a house elf, and how he would never let himself be pushed around like that again. "It was a bad idea, Remus. I hated it so much, I can't live chained down like that." He had said. When Sirius finally noticed his brother he nodded the young boy's way before walking away quickly.

Sirius had started missing their meetings in the Great Hall, changed for some sleep, seeing as detentions were served by him every other day. Regulus was missing his brother, though he couldn't help being upset at Sirius' friends for getting him into so much trouble. Their mother's howlers had started again, upsetting Regulus quite a bit, as he had thought maybe their family could start getting along better now. Sirius seemed to have a laugh at the howlers burning up on the table, even sending a couple charms at some to make them burst into bigger, brighter flames, the voice of their mother piercing everyone's ears.

By Easter, Regulus had talked to his brother only a handful of times, all of which had ended up in harsh words from Sirius, Regulus becoming quite upset with both his brother and the older boy's friends. He was certain it was their fault, as Sirius was always nice to him back at home. Regulus couldn't believe his brother had actually shouted out at him for talking about the young nerdy boy. He was beginning to hate the lot, and every howler their mother sent made him cringe. The year ended with Regulus depressed, torn between his parents and his brother. He loved his brother dearly, and they had been incredibly close, no matter how much the elder picked on the younger. He knew the summer would be horrible at home, his parents and their wishes and expectations for both of their children and his rebellious brother, breaking each and every one of them slowly.


End file.
